Richards takes bronze at Eventing World Breeding Championships, ISH first in studbook class

WEXFORD rider Sophie Richards claimed the Bronze Medal for Ireland today
(Sunday) at the Eventing World Breeding Championships for Young Horses
at Le Lion d’Angers in France, with the Irish Sport Horse SRS Adventure.

The Studbook ranking also saw Irish Sport Horses take first place in the
overall world championships.

Richards’s chestnut gelding, jointly owned by the rider and partner
Steven Smith, was seventh after dressage in the Six Year-Old class on a
penalty score of 47.3. The combination improved a place on Saturday
during the cross country phase, and in today’s final show jumping
competition went clear to finish third in the hotly-contested top end of
the leaderboard.

A clear show jumping round moved Co. Kildare’s Melanie Young up from
13th to ninth on Caroline Bjoerk’s Luidam gelding Ard Cluedo (51.9)
while Co Wexford’s Maria Byrne dropped two places to 16th when the OBOS
Quality 004 mare Class Affair lowered a pole to add four faults.

The Six Year-Old world championship was won by Germany’s individual
European and Olympic champion Michael Jung with Fischerincanatas, who
entered the arena today with six points in hand, and though he finished
on four faults, still claimed the gold medal. Silver went to Netherlands
rider Merel Blom with The Quizmaster.

Of the ten breeding studbooks competing for honours in both the Six and
Seven Year-Old classes over the weekend, the Irish Sport Horse studbook
finished in pole position on 151 penalties, with the German Holsteiner
studbook second on 153 penalties, and the Dutch KWPN studbook in third
on 153.2.

BREEDING:

• SRS Adventure (ISH) – 2009 chestnut gelding by Newmarket Venture (HANN) out of Newmarket Dato Two (ISH), by Aldato (KWPN). Bred by Billy Daly, Co. Cork. Owner: Stephen Smith & Sophie Richards. Rider: Sophie Richards (IRL)

Sophie Richards and SRS Adventure competing today